Arty event draws in crowds

ARTY Austin Ward shows he's quick on the draw on a visit to The Oracle.

The young artist was taking part in the Big Draw, a national campaign to encourage people to take up drawing and sketching.READING people had a brush with the future on Saturday when they came across robot art.

The cyber Cezannes and robotic Renoirs were at the Museum of Reading on Saturday with mastermind Professor Kevin Warwick as part of the Big Draw campaign.

Professor Warwick, of The University of Reading cybernetics department, showed off learning robots armed with paint and brushes to create giant works of art on the floor of the art gallery.

Visitors were able to help the electronic artists to create their own masterpieces.

The university's Dalek robot also made a guest appearance at the Town Hall Square threatening to "exterminate"

people unless they went inside the museum.

The Big Draw is part of the Drawing Power campaign.

Reading borough councillor Richard McKenzie said: "This is a really innovative event and I'm delighted that the museum is working with the university."

Professor Warwick said: "It's fascinating to see the way people interact with robots."